Naveen Patnaik slams Union Budget 2024 for 'neglecting Odisha, prioritizing Bihar and Andhra'

Bhubaneshwar (Odisha) [India], July 23 (ANI): Former Odisha Chief Minister and Leader of Opposition Naveen Patnaik criticized the Union Budget, claiming that while special packages were allocated for Andhra Pradesh and Bihar, Odisha has been entirely neglected.
"BJP had put special category status in their manifesto as a promise to the people of Odisha. However, this promise had not been considered for Odisha whereas special packages allocating crores of funds have been announced for Andhra Pradesh and Bihar," Patnaik said.
He added that the Central government during the election campaign had made big promises for different sectors in Odisha but it did not fulfil any promises. He said, "Along with this, the demand of Odisha for revision of coal royalty which has been pending for years with the Central Government has been rejected. Because of this, the state will lose thousands of crores of revenue every year. Lots of big promises in different sectors were made to the people of Odisha during their election campaign related to the agriculture sector and MSPs. There is no mention of any promise being fulfilled in this Budget. This is a complete neglect of Odisha and her people."
Patnaik further expressed disappointment, saying, "We had requested a special package for disaster management, while similar requests of other states have been considered and they have been granted special packages for flood protection, the genuine demand of Odisha disaster management has not been considered. Odisha continues to be neglected by the NDA... This Budget has been a disappointment for us..."
Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman presented the first Union Budget of the Modi 3.0 government on Tuesday. In her seventh consecutive Union Budget for 2024-25, Sitharaman outlined nine key priorities aimed at fostering economic growth and creating opportunities.
The Finance Minister announced major projects for Bihar and Andhra Pradesh, including support for the Amritsar-Kolkata industrial corridor and road connectivity projects such as the Patna-Purnia Expressway, Buxar-Bagalpur Expressway, and an additional two-lane bridge over the Ganga at Buxar, at a total cost of Rs 26,000 crore.
Additionally, a new 2400-megawatt power plant will be set up at Pirpainti at a cost of Rs 21,400 crore, along with new airports, medical colleges, and sports infrastructure. Bihar will also receive expedited external assistance from multilateral development banks.
For flood control, the government plans to build structures in Nepal and provide Rs 11,500 crore for projects such as the Kosi-Mechi intra-state link and other ongoing and new schemes. (ANI)